July 22, 2021
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
HighlandsRanchHerald.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 33
Colorado wildfires are year-round danger Hotter, drier climate influences how and when fires ignite BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
to make up for losses from the COVID-19 pandemic and make salaries slightly more competitive. However,
State climate experts and local fire officials along the Front Range say wildfire season no longer has an end as heat, low moisture and other factors have created a year-round problem. Russ Schumacher, the Colorado state climatologist and director of the Colorado Climate Center, said 2020 was the worst year on record for wildfires, rewriting record books on what kind of fires can happen and when. In the past, wildfire season was generally contained to the hottest part of summer in July and into August. Now, Inter-Canyon Fire Protection District Chief Daniel Hatlestad said, wildfires are a 12-month priority. The Inter-Canyon Fire District covers 52 square miles in Jefferson County. “We are seeing these fires spread, and spread quickly every month of the year,” Hatlestad said. “The fuel load across the Front Range has created more intense, frequent and longer-burning fires. There is no longer a change of approach to prepare for wildfire season because there is no season.”
SEE PAY, P29
SEE WILDFIRES, P4
Lindsey McKissick, outreach coordinator for the Backcountry Wilderness Area, points to the land covering more than 8,000 PHOTO BY THELMA GRIMES acres between Highlands Ranch and Castle Pines that is protected from development.
Backcountry Wilderness Area thrives Conservation efforts, community programs make land a benefit to Highlands Ranch BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In Highlands Ranch, the more than 8,200 acres of open land
known as the Backcountry Wilderness Area (BWA) is a special resource that is being preserved as open, natural space. In the 1980s, before housing
construction reshaped Highlands Ranch, early visionaries wanted to make sure wildlife and grasslands SEE WILDERNESS, P20
District takes first steps in overhaul of educator pay DCSD hopes to pick up where it left off before the pandemic BY LIAM ADAMS LADAMS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Douglas County School District has a short-term and long-
term plan to improve educator compensation. The district is ending furlough days and boosting employees’ base salaries this upcoming school year
MOVING ON FROM COSBY
She testified that the actor sexually assaulted her. Now she wants the spotlight on needed changes P2
ON AN UPSWING
Pickleball is still popular among seniors, but now younger generations are discovering the sport
P14